NVIDIA GPU resurrected after 10 minutes at 425°F

We've seen some pretty weird stuff in our years on this planet -- heck, we've revived our own drenched Sony DAP by burying it in rice for 48 hours -- but this is easily one of the most bizarre gizmo resurrections we've ever come across. As the tale goes, one valiant NVIDIA GPU owner apparently bit on a myth which suggested that a pinch of time in the oven (quite literally, might we add) would repair faulty GPUs that were throwing up oodles of vertical lines. After purchasing another GPU to replace his ailing 8800GTX, he figured he had zilch to lose and gave it a shot; lo and behold, the temporary warmth seemingly melted the solder points and healed micro-fractures that were causing the unwanted lines. We've yet to hear how his attempt at returning the new GPU went, but hey, there's always eBay. Give the read link a look if you're still in disbelief.

[Via Digg]

[DarkXane @ May 30th 2009 10:06PM]

On the latest news: NVIDIA and ATI create a Video Card so powerful no oven can melt it.

On other news: Intel failed in creating an Ovencard.

[nerdtalker @ May 30th 2009 11:47PM]

As someone who makes and messes with integrated circuits, semiconductors, and PCBs for a living, I find it totally unimpressive and un-newsworthy that someone discovered that they can reflow solder with heat.

I know, right? Isn't that intense? The same magic that makes the solder flow in the first place, heat, can be used to reflow it! Oh my gosh!

(This trick also applies to the Xbox 360 towel mod, same concept exactly.)

[Surfaced @ May 31st 2009 12:09AM]

@nerdtalker

yeah I was about to say, this is pretty much what kids have been doing with their RRoD'd 360s for years. I mean, wrapping that thing in a thick towel is almost the equivalent of this.

[Juaquin @ May 31st 2009 3:30AM]

Exactly. This is how the card was originally made, in a reflow oven. Of course, a problem with your videocard is most likely not a bad solder connection, but if the card is already bad it's worth a shot. Just don't do it too long or too hot, or you might have components falling off the down side.

[Eleazar @ May 31st 2009 4:34AM]

@nerdtalker: It doesn't work that way, the towel trick forces the 2 red light (overheat) error which lets the xbox360 boots normally after it cools down (which doesn't happen with the 3 red light error). It's just a temporally fix, it doesn't do anything to the solder points in the motherboard.

For someone who makes and messes with integrated circuits, semiconductors, and PCBs for a living, it's funny that you actually believe that by overheating the xbox you're going to fix an overheating issue.

[giuliop @ May 31st 2009 5:48AM]

If you ovenclock an ovencard, it doesn't ovenheat.

[Aguiluz @ May 30th 2009 10:07PM]

Wow... Amazing...

Sounds like when I read about someone popped a PS3 board in the oven and it fixed the YLOD.

[Rocky @ May 30th 2009 11:28PM]

You know what else is amazing? Somehow Engadget managed to screw up 2 things in the title alone. According to the read link, it was 5 minutes at 385 degrees... not 10 minutes at 425. Small and irrelevant, I know, but seriously how do you screw up something so simple? The forum post was about 10 lines long.

[Paul @ May 30th 2009 11:41PM]

may be way out there but im going to assume its a pizza joke as thats in the ball park

[Andir3.0 @ May 31st 2009 2:08AM]

My pizzas always take a good 12-13 minutes at 425... silly Engadgeters eating undercooked pizza.

[collegekid13 @ May 30th 2009 10:07PM]

dare you to do that to your brand new faulty macbook!

[Steve @ May 31st 2009 12:26AM]

Actually, that's how I dry my Macbook after I get out of the shower.

[Tes @ May 31st 2009 7:36AM]

If it's brand new I assume it would still be in warranty...

[Elijah @ Jun 1st 2009 3:29AM]

I dare you to find a faulty MacBook

I'd ask you to do that with a fault PC but that's ALL PC's

[agrabren @ Jun 1st 2009 11:08AM]

@Elijah: That's not hard to do. Apple has a problem with some of the Macbook/Macbook Pro lines which cause the screen to show lines. They handled it under warranty, but that's still a faulty Macbook.

[Devolve @ May 30th 2009 10:09PM]

People have been doing this for years. It's nothing new.

[Victoid @ May 30th 2009 11:06PM]

did the same thing to my xbox 360 mobo to fix the RROD. it probably reflows cold solder points b/c of all the lead-free solder that's in use these days. there's nothin new here.

[XIYL @ May 30th 2009 10:48PM]

I'm gunna try that, fucking E74.

[EdMercer @ May 31st 2009 12:05AM]

I overheated my old XBox 360 (a.k.a. the towel trick) a few times to get rid of faulty video output... Let's just say it is a temporary fix as it eventually went full RRoD on me and I had to buy me a new one.

[David @ May 31st 2009 12:49AM]

Both E74 and RROD are covered in the 3-year extended warranty now...why not make Microsoft fix its mistake?

[Victoid @ May 31st 2009 1:40AM]

perhaps because there are those who have voided their warranties in various ways...

[Sam @ May 31st 2009 6:18AM]

Then they deserve what ever they get.

[XIYL @ May 31st 2009 11:55PM]

II just want everyone to know that i tried it and it worked. My 360 is reborn!!!!!

PS: of course i would had let Microsoft fix it if i still had warranty.

[crazyburns @ Jun 1st 2009 11:51AM]

Microsoft will still replace it even if you have opened you Xbox. Worst case they'll just send you back your old one still broken. It's not like they can say "You voided your warranty, you can't have this back".

[Swimatm @ May 30th 2009 10:18PM]

That's pretty neat... never thought of that. Although the risk is high, I'm sure.

[glenskey @ May 30th 2009 10:22PM]

in goes my old dell...

[patriotsn1 @ May 30th 2009 10:23PM]

I hear this also gets babies to stop crying...


hmmm I still don't get the dead baby joke appeal after all these cyber years.

[rcarm @ May 30th 2009 10:23PM]

Is it a good idea to heat this up in an oven?

[David @ May 30th 2009 10:34PM]

sure! it was for 8800GTX guy!

it's not like putting aluminum foil in a microwave oven.

[zevdawg @ May 31st 2009 11:17AM]

Is it a good idea to microwave this?

[Arkenklo @ May 31st 2009 8:46PM]

@zevdawg:

sure! it was for 8800GTX guy!

it's not like putting aluminum foil in a microwave oven.

[billcantfart @ May 30th 2009 10:36PM]

Awesome! I'm putting all my electronics in the oven!

(am I unbanned...?)

[billcantfart @ May 30th 2009 10:38PM]

Ha! I'm back! I see Engadget's comment system is still crap.

[Major_Player @ May 30th 2009 10:41PM]

Like all your comments troll...

AHAHAHAHAH!!!!

[Aguiluz @ May 30th 2009 11:19PM]

Hooray! My avatar still randomly changes!

[Templarian @ May 30th 2009 11:23PM]

@Aguiluz, but does yours flick between 3 different icons? Mine does.

[tikiwk @ May 30th 2009 11:36PM]

Too bad I'm still banned. Oh wait... :o

In 10+ years of online activity, I believe this is the only site to have banned me.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ May 30th 2009 10:46PM]

Remember this for the SATs, you high schoolers. Oven is to NVIDIA GPU as Jesus is to Lazarus.

[kingu @ May 31st 2009 12:15PM]

Your analogy expired in the age of the modem-internets.

[Will @ May 31st 2009 6:39PM]

Also, they got rid of the SAT analogy section because they were too hard.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Jun 3rd 2009 2:15AM]

Seriously? Is an AMiSH PiRATE that far behind in the times?

[ChaosEntity17 @ May 30th 2009 10:54PM]

BRB eBay, looking for 'dead' GTX295's

[Temo @ May 30th 2009 11:04PM]

Dude... Great idea... !!!!!!!!

[telepheedian @ May 30th 2009 11:07PM]

Dude... not seeing any :(.

[Levi @ May 30th 2009 11:02PM]

to the few that are saying "nothing new here," there's obviously plenty of people that have never heard of this sort of thing... And I gotta say, it's pretty funny... kind of like when I heard about the towel trick for the first time, I didn't believe it, until I Googled harder and an explanation totally made sense of it. This makes sense too I guess. Still seems really odd though.

[David @ May 31st 2009 12:47AM]

Both E74 and RROD are covered in the 3-year extended warranty now...why not make Microsoft fix its mistake?

[David @ May 31st 2009 12:50AM]

Curse my laptop...can't click the right thing.

[letstakeawalk @ May 31st 2009 5:26PM]

LOL @ "Googled harder".

[cyriac.kandoth @ May 30th 2009 11:24PM]

I wonder if it will work with a microwave... jk!

[Calvin @ May 30th 2009 11:23PM]

But can it run Crysis?